Page 46 of The King is Dead
“He was never the right one. I could tell,” she said, staring into the distance, still shaking her head.
I bristled. “What? If you knew—why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because you’re Queen. You’re supposed to choose the right man for the people, not the right man foryou,right? Unless, I mean, God chooses for you,” she said, half-laughing.
“But youknew?”
Her face grew serious then. “I was always afraid you wouldn’t be happy in the long run, but I thought you chose for duty, and I wasn’t going to make that harder on you. He would be an excellent King. Just… not an excellent partner foryou.”
“Why not?”
“He’s too… he’s known you too long. I know he loves you and admires you. I know he’d die for you. He would be loyal until his dying breath. But… he knew you as a child and I don’t think he’s ever gotten past that. I think sometimes he still sees you as… the princess. Not the Queen. Not a woman in your own right.”
I was stunned. I hadn’t ever articulated it, but… she gave words to my unease.
The screens he had installed without my knowledge…
Showing up among the Nephilim because he didn’t believe my messages from the scouts…
Dragging me in front of Melek like a recalcitrant child…
It was as if a curtain pulled back and I could see the whole landscape, not just the sliver I’d been peering at through the gap. A part of me was still wrestling withnotselecting Turo as King. Because he would be an excellent ruler. But he would have truly ruled—even me.
“Oh my god, Diadre… you’re right,” I breathed.
She gave a low huff of laughter. “I usually am. But in this case, it’s because Jhonas does the same thing to me, and it makes me insane.”
I stared at her. I knew her brother often lorded his will over her, it was a battle she fought often. But he loved her, and she loved him. I hadn’t thought it too heavy of a burden…
I sat back in my chair. “You’re right,” I repeated. “But that doesn’t solve the very real problem that my mate feels as if I am a fraud and a betrayer, and—”
“Oh,no,”Diadre said firmly. “That part is easy.”
She rose from the couch, leaving the wine on the table between us, and started towards my drawers on the other side of the suite.
“I assure you, it isn’t,” I called after her. “What are you doing?”
“No, Yilan, listen to me. This is the part where youcantake control.”
“What? How?”
I sat up, frowning. Diadre rifled through my drawers, pulling things out and tossing them atop the dresser as she spoke.
“There was a feast—do you remember the Starnight last year? Remember how you threw that ball? I was excited. My first ball as a Captain. The men would get to see me… pretty.”
“Yes. I remember.”
“Two of my men flirted with meoutrageouslythat night.”
My brows rose. “You had anaffaire?”
“Of course not. They report to me. I would never.” She shrugged. “We had a fun time and left it at that. But the following day…” Her tone said it hadn’t ended well.
“What happened?”
She slapped something to the dresser top, then yanked another drawer open. “Those two began to disrupt after roll call the next morning. At first, I put it down to hangovers. We were all tired, all a little off. But it didn’t stop,” she said through gritted teeth.
“I was forced to call them in for discipline—confront them with it. And it wasn’t until I had them on hard labor that one of them spoke the truth.”
